Speech by President of the Government at inauguration of Ministerial Meeting of United Nations Security Council Counter-terrorism Committee

Madrid

Madam Chair of the Counter-terrorism Committee, ministers, Mr Executive Director of the Counter-terrorism Committee, Mr Special Envoy for Libya of the United Nations Secretary General, deputy ministers, ambassadors, representatives of international bodies, international experts,

Thank you very much for being here today, in Spain. Welcome to our country.

We are here today to deal with a very important issue: nowadays terrorism represents one of the greatest threats to international peace and security. It is a phenomenon that endangers the security and liberty of our citizens and attacks the model of peaceful and democratic co-existence of our societies. Terrorism knows no borders, nor does it represent any faith or religion. Terrorism violates human rights, affects the very heart of our liberties, co-existence, religious tolerance, the possibilities of education and economic growth and development.

Spain has suffered from terrorism first-hand. Unfortunately, we have extensive experience in decisively and effectively fighting this blight. In the past, I was the Minister for Home Affairs and unfortunately I have the extreme pain caused by the barbarism of terrorism engrained in me for life.

We know that dialogue with terrorists is not possible. They have a totalitarian and exclusionary personality. They substitute politics for extreme violence with which to exterminate adversaries.

Joint action and collaboration from all tiers of government, public authorities and society is necessary to combat terrorism. In this fight, our States must fully respect human rights and the principles of the United Nations Charter. There are no short-cuts.

As a result of this extensive experience, Spain has the intention and commitment to effectively contribute to the international community's fight against terrorism. Spain is at the front line of this combat. Terrorism constitutes one of the priorities for our term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. That is why here in Madrid we are hosting a meeting of the United Nations Security Council Counter-terrorism Committee, which has just ended, and this Ministerial Meeting that I am honoured to open.

The meeting of the Counter-terrorism Committee focused on the threat of foreign terrorist fighters. We are graced with the presence of the Chair of the Counter-terrorism Committee and its Executive Director, who will present the conclusions from their work session later.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The existence of foreign terrorist fighters is not a new phenomenon, but at present it is occurring with a particular force and a radical nature. The spectacular development of telecommunications, the mass use of social networks and enhanced ease of transportation have increased the ability of terrorist groups to recruit.

The phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters affects many countries and affects areas of security, politics, economics and finance, culture, education, society and humanitarian issues. In other words, this is an international global phenomenon and, as such, it requires global responses.

Comprehensive strategies are required that affect all its aspects and which, in addition to acting on issues of security and public order, include other dimensions of the problem.

Against this backdrop, the fight against radicalisation takes on special importance. That is why social and economic media play a key role, together with the spread of tales that de-legitimise terror. When terrorism loses support and social coverage, it loses a major part of its de-stabilising potential.

In the fight against this blight, the protection and just vindication of victims of terrorism is particularly important. They provide the example to de-legitimise violence, they are specific individuals, they are human beings whose lives have been cut short by the senselessness of violence. Our societies must recognise these victims as an act of justice due to the suffering that they have experienced and continue to do so.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Spain is one of the countries that has implemented strategies to prevent and avoid radicalisation and violent extremism, through the adoption of its Strategic National Plan to Combat Violent Radicalisation.

At an international level, we are working on preventative measures through initiatives that promote dialogue and tolerance. Spain has pushed through initiatives such as intercultural and interreligious dialogue through the King Abdullah International Centre for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue based in Vienna.

At a regional level, we are developing actions together with our partners in the European Union and our neighbours on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. On 22 and 23 July, we hosted a successful High-Level Meeting on Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Barcelona.

In short, we are stepping up our activities in this area and we hope to contribute in this way to the process that has been consolidated since the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism on 19 February.

In recent times we have received news of terrorist attacks with greater frequency. In Africa, in the Middle East, in Asia and in Europe, the number of victims of these hateful attacks is on the rise. These attacks are linked to the terrorist gang DAESH and other groups that have pledged allegiance in various countries, such as Al Qaeda and other related terrorist groups.

One of the most serious aspects of this situation is that a terrorist group such as DAESH has been able to control territory in areas in Syria and Iraq, and even in Libya. This facilitates their propaganda and helps boost actions by other groups. Furthermore, this inspires 'lone wolf' terrorists who are drawn by the attraction of the message sent out by radicals and who plan violent actions without the need for a direct or hierarchical relationship with them.

International action must be aimed at depriving terrorist groups like DAESH of a territorial base. To that end, Spain has joined up with another 60 countries in the International Coalition against DAESH. Furthermore, we are convinced that we must continue to provide our support to the legitimate Government of Iraq to strengthen its capabilities and help it tackle the threat faced from DAESH. We must also avoid its establishment in Syria.

To achieve this, international cooperation is essential. Against this backdrop, we need to particularly focus on issues regarding the direct exchange of information, border control, the fight against terrorist financing and international legal cooperation to tackle the challenge and threat posed by terrorism. We need to ensure that terrorist actions receive a suitable response from law enforcement and security agencies, and that effective jurisdictional mechanisms are in place to bring terrorists to justice.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Faced with this terrorist threat, we must have very clear ideas:

- Within our countries, the joint participation of all public authorities, political parties and civil society as a whole is necessary to develop comprehensive strategies that tackle all aspects of this threat.

- On the international stage, since we are speaking of an international threat, we need to step up cooperation between all States.
We must subordinate our individual actions to the framework of the United Nations with a global and long-term strategy, within a legal framework and with the legitimacy given to us by the opinion of the international community as a whole.

And the most important aspect, terrorism can be defeated. We have achieved this in Spain. No-one can escape from a one-off evil attack but this phenomenon can be defeated if we are determined and fight together as one.

I would like to end my speech, on the one hand, by expressing my particular gratitude to the law enforcement agencies as a key instrument in the fight against terrorism, and, on the other hand, by reiterating that we must never forget the victims. Their memory and their testimony are key for bringing to an end the evil of terrorism.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you very much for coming here, for the work you are doing to combat terrorism and for your attention. Thank you.